In this week's EIPC Speednews, FastPrint finalizes its acquisition of eXception PCB Solutions; Polar Instruments upgrades Atlas Si; IPC releases a market forecast on the economy and electronics industry.

GOEPEL electronic offers an enhanced version of its system for the automated optical inspection of fluorescing conformal coating. The Teachable Optical Measurement (TOM) system can be utilized for inspection of PCB coatings as well as PCB areas, which mustn't be coated. The maximum PCB size is 460 mm x 400 mm.

Many are unaware that 50 to 80% of wave solder dross is usable solder alloy. The SEPARO solder recovery system from Manncorp allows companies to quickly and easily reclaim valuable solder in-house for significant cost savings.

Screen printing technology leader, DEK, is dedicated to nurturing young SMT talent in the growing China market and has presented 15 Tsinghua DEK SMT scholarships to outstanding students at Tsinghua University, a leading academic institution based in Beijing, China.

Semblant Ltd. has launched the PlasmaShield plasma conformal coat process to deliver best-in-class environmental protection without the expense associated with material costs or manufacturing complexity. The process prevents solids and liquids from contacting electronics, protects against vapor damage, and can mitigate tin whiskers.

This new encapsulant/adhesive is designed to protect wire bonds and reduce stresses associated with thermal cycling. This material has excellent chemical resistance to inks.

Indium's Global Product Manager Tim Jensen joins Editor Andy Shaughnessy to discusses SACM, a solder alloy that features better drop shock resistance than SAC105 and thermal cycle performance that's similar to SAC305.

Chief Customer Officer Michael Hanke of Rehm Thermal Systems points out the challenges of conventional reflow ovens and explains how convection plus condensation features deliver superior performance to Rehm's global customer base.

A flood of counterfeit electronic parts has entered the electronics manufacturing supply chain in recent years and mitigating their proliferation has become a significant challenge. EPE Corporation has constructed a program with robust checks and balances and closed-loop protocols to prevent the incidence of counterfeit components in operations.

Photo Stencil's Vice President of Sales and Marketing Rachel Miller-Short discusses her company's new Smart-Release™ nanolayer stencil coating with Guest Editor Kelly Dack. She also explains various stencil types and how to decide which type of stencil is best for the job at hand.

Aegis' Karsten Schluter, managing director, Asia, presents FactoryLogix, a software system designed to meet customers' needs, at NEPCON China 2013. Combined with diplan, it's a great way to enhance the company's service and products.